Apparatus for producing staple fiber



Dec. 31, 1940. I E. HAMEL.

APPARATUS FOR PROISUCING STAPLE FIBER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 19, 1937 Z7. jfamel M Dec. 31, 194-0. HAMEL APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING STAPLE FIBER 2 Sheet-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 19, 19:57

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Patented Dec. 31, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,227,186 APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING STAPLE FIBER 4 Claims.

The present invention concerns a process and an apparatus for the manufacture of staple fibre out of freshly spun endless artificial filaments which are out to single fibres (staples) of equal or of different lengths.

Th invention particularly pertains to apparatus wherein an aftertreatment is performed in individual baths which are arranged in the form of subdivided aggregates one beside the other or one after the other or one above the other in such a manner that by means of one reel transversally arranged above each aggregate the fibre rope will be transferred from one bath to the next travelling sideways in a screw-line. During such an operation the fibre rope passes over the reel and then falls down passing through the bath and over a guide arranged within the bath then rises from the bath to the reel and so on until all the aftertreating baths are passed. Moreover the fibre rope does not pass the bath in an equally smooth and continual draft but the rope is periodically tightened and loosened. Thus the aftertreating liquid within the rope is moved and the single fibres are all exposed to 5 fresh liquid.

By means of special machinery the speed of aftertreatment may be so arranged as to obtain uniform aftertreatment. The possibility of too hard a stretch of the rope on the reel may be prevented. Near the point where the rope enters the aftertreating machinery regulating apparatus may be provided for automatically adjusting the tension within the fibre rope by automatically regulating the speed of motion. For preventing too much friction of the rope on the periphery of the reel which might perhaps damage the fibre the ends of one or some of the bars of the reel may be supported on strong springs or on elastic buffers made for example 40 from india-rubber, or the bars may be covered for example with air-filled tires or the like.

For rendering the efiect of the bath-liquids especially effective and for moving the rope within the aftertreating baths and periodically tight- 45 ening and loosening the rope a not-round form of a reel is used. In special cases, oval reels with two or more arms even with arms of different length or swinging reels with only one arm turning in a bearing may be used.

50 In the accompanying drawings the present invention is illustrated in some examples embodying the invention though other methods and machines or alterations of the illustrated machines may as well embody the idea of the invention.

55 Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view of the apparatus necessary for spinning and aftertreating the fibre rope and cutting it to small staples.

' Fig. 2 illustrates on a larger scale the equalizer for automatically adjusting the tension within the fibre rope whereby the tension of the enter- 5 ing fibre rope is loosened by changing the speed of driving if the tension is too strong or by increasing the tension if it has become too loose.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a reel which is oval shaped in cross section at one end and round 10 at the other end.

Fig. 4 is a plan view illustrating an oblique mountingof a reel above the aftertreating baths.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view through the bath trough showing an oval shaped reel in section.

Fig. 6 is a similar sectional view illustrating a reel of circular shape.

The fundamental idea for the apparatus for performing the process herebefore described resides in the fact that the endless fibre rope is conveyed through a plurality of individual baths of aftertreatment arranged one next the other and avoiding any stretching in periodically giving the rope a certain tension and. loosening it again and then conveying the rope by a current of liquid to a rotating cutting device so rendering the cutting of the stretched fibre rope into staples possible in a freely guided state.

The single threads 3 produced in a well known manner with aid of the nozzles I after having passed the precipitating bath 2 are in a suitable way combined to formthe fibre rope 3 for exampl with the help of an endless ribbon or a current of liquid running in a channel etc. The combined rope 3 is then conducted to the after- 5 treatment apparatus which will be described in detail further below.

Before entering the aftertreating machinery the rope may pass a stretching device consisting of a plurality of rollers (for example three rollers 4, 5, 6 illustrated in Fig. 1 which may be turnable or fixed).

For avoiding differences of tension of the fibers within the rope 3' which might have an unfavourable effect on it a device for equalizing the tension may be provided before the rope enters the machinery for aftertreatment. This equalizer tension consists in its main part of a lever l with arms of equal length and two rotatable rollers (8 and 9) mounted on the lever-ends guiding th rope 3'. The center of the lever I is fixed to a roller or a disk I!) and around the periphery of this roller I0 ropes H and 12 are conducted which pass over propelling rollers l3 and I4 respectively, these rollers being rigidly fixed to the shafts l5 and I6 respectively. The motion transmitting rollers l3 and I4 are on their fronts provided with an indentation and between these coupling rollers l1 and I8 are movably arranged. If the lever I is performing a swinging movement, this movement will be directly transmitted by the roller Ill to the coupling device l|-l8 (Fig. 2) so as to adjust the speed at which the rope 3' is pulled off.

From the tension regulating device shown in Fig. 2, the rope is conducted to the periphery of the promoting reel I9 having either an oval cross-section or any other not-round cross-section or a round cross-section. On the periphery of the reel l9 axially extending bars 20 are arranged to receive the fibre rope. For avoiding stretching so strong as to injure the fibres the ends of the bars are provided with springs 2|, particularly the bars 20 mounted within the greatest diameter of the ovally formed reel. Springs of any suitable form or india-rubber-buffers may be used for this purpose. If any strong stretching in the fibre rope happens to appear which may be caused by shrinking the yieldably mounted bars are drawn inward. If the tension is loosened the bars again go back into their normal position. By the diminution of the cross-section of the reel by pressure exerted on the bars the promotion of the fibre rope is regulated in a most advantageous manner.

For neutralizing the difierences of tension at the end of the reel when using a non-round reel the cross section of the reel towards its end may pass over into a round cross-section as shown in Fig. 3.

The fibre rope 3' is for aftertreating conducted in the form of a screwline over the reel l9 mounted with an obliquely directed axis above the different aftertreatment-baths 22. The baths consist of single cells arranged one next to the other as shown in Fig. 4. A guide 24 consisting of a roller or simply of a rod for guiding the fibre rope 3' is provided in each cell. Because of the excentric movement of the rotating reel combined with the compulsory run of the fibre rope through the individua1 baths, stretching followed by a loosening of the rope takes place. When using a reel having a round cross-section this stretching and loosening may according to Fig. 6 be assured by a special swinging device 25.

In leaving the aftertreatment apparatus the rope is conducted to a current of liquid enclosing the fibre rope so as to convey the rope forward to cutting apparatus. Such fiuid conveying means is indicated at 26 in Fig. 1.

Having now described my invention and the way in which it may be performed I declare that what I claim is:

1. In apparatus for producing staple fiber, a plurality of aftertreating baths, a reel rotatably mounted adjacent said baths, said reel having a plurality of axially extending bars adapted to form the peripheral surface of the reel and provide a guide for a fiber rope entering the baths, and means for yieldably supporting said bars whereby the bars may move radially inward under abnormal tension of the fiber rope.

2. In apparatus for producing staple fiber, a plurality of aftertreating baths, a reel having an oval shape cross section rotatably mounted adjaoent said baths, said reel having a plurality of axially extending bars adapted to form the peripheral surface of the reel and provide a guide for a fiber rope entering the baths, and means for yieldably supporting the bars arranged at the maximum diameter of the reel whereby the yieldably supported bars may be urged radially inward under abnormal tension of the fiber rope.

3. In apparatus for producing staple fiber, a series of individual aftertreating baths, a reel having a curved irregular cross-sectional shape rotatably mounted adjacent said baths, said reel 1 having a plurality of axially extending bars forming the peripheral surface of the reel and adapted to provide a guide surface fora fiber rope entering the baths and springs for yieldably supporting the bars positioned at the greatest distance from the axis of the reel whereby the the spring supported bars may move radially inward under abnormal tension of the fiber rope.

4. In apparatus for producing staple fiber, a plurality of aftertreating baths, a reel rotatably mounted adjacent said baths, said reel having a round cross-sectional shape at one end thereof and an elliptical cross-sectional shape at the other end thereof, the intermediate peripheral surface of said reel sloping to provide a gradually changed surface between the ends thereof, the elliptical shaped end of said reel being adapted to guide a fiber rope into the first of the aftertreating baths, the central portion of the peripheral surface guiding the rope through other of the baths and the more round shaped peripheral surface guiding the rope away from the baths.

EDMUND HAMEL. 

